Grand Prix season is back, and millions of fans will be glued to the action at the races all over the world, as the teams attempt to jostle their way up the leaderboard.
But if you’re new to the sport, there’s a pit’s worth of motor racing jargon that may need explaining before you tune in to the race commentary. We’re here to get you off the grid with a few explanations.
Pole position
Arguably the best-known phrase in Formula 1, this is the most favourable place for a car to start the race in, situated on the inside of the front row. It’s a place that has to be earned, with the top spot going to the driver with the fastest time in qualifying.
Its background comes from horse racing, and again refers to the fastest-qualifying horse, which would start the race next to the pole of the inside fence. Motor racing adopted the phrase in the 1950s, despite a lack of poles on the starting grid. The driver who occupies that pole spot before a race can also be described as a ‘polesitter’.
Dirty and clean air
Just as cyclists avoid sidewinds, F1 drivers don’t like dirty air. This is the wake of air produced by a leading car. Being behind it reduces the more efficient airflow enjoyed by being out in front and can cause the car behind to underperform. But sometimes dirty air can actually help a following car, as the leading car is piercing the air and doing a lot of the hard work.
When a car is out in front, it enjoys bags of clean air, which flows smoothly over the car’s body and allows it a swifter run around the track.
Bottoming
You really don’t want to do this on a race track. However, it's a bit of a classic for the crowd, as this is the moment that underside of the car makes contact with the track. It’s the act of bottoming which sends sparks shooting out the back as the metal of the car’s undercarriage grinds against the track surface. Bottoming is not brilliant if you want to pick up a bit of speed, as all that friction can slow a car down.
Tankslapping
This is no fun for the driver involved. Tankslapping occurs when the back end of a car moves out and starts to zig-zag around the track. It takes some serious skill to get the vehicle under control.
Undercut
The pit stop is the place drivers head to during the race for some swift tyre changes or maintenance. Although a pit stop can delay a driver, they can also use it to their advantage by performing an undercut.
When a driver is trying all they can to get past a competitor but just can’t break through, they’ll nip to the pit early for a shiny set of new tyres, in the hope that will give them the boost in timing to move past their rival when it is their turn to head to the pits.
This is just a taster of the slang words you’ll stumble upon in the world of F1. If you do make it to the end of a commentary without feeling clueless, you have our permission to pop open a bottle of champagne and spray everyone you see within five yards.
This article was published in May 2019 and last updated in 2022
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